Shaft sealing means for pumps



4Patented Oct. 12, l1943 `UNITED STA-res PATE-NT ori-ics SHAFT SEALING MEANS FoRrUMPs Jackl Walker, Los Angeles, Calif. f

` Application January 21,'1'1941, Serial No. 375,232

Y (Cl. 286-9) 6 Claims.

This invention has for its primary object to provide anew and highly eiiicient means forseal* ing the shaft f a suction lift centrifugal pump as employed for pumping muddy, dirty or sandy fluids or any fluid containing abrasive substances, wherein the pump supplies such fluid to the sealing means to therewith form and maintain with` out objectionable Wear on the sealing means and associated parts, a reliable liquid seal around the shaft where it enters the pump housing.

In pumping liquids containing abrasives, such,

for example, as the mud compositions used in drilling wells, a great deal of diflicultyis eX- perienced in maintaining an air tight seal and' operative condition where the shaft enters the pump and the pump, dueto the action of the abrasive components such as sand, dirt, etc., which are picked by and held in suspension in said composition.. Consequently pump failures and frequent -shut-downs and replacement of parts are brought about, especially where a` centrifugal suction lift pump is employed to pump the sanded uid from a sump therefor into desanding apparatus. I have found that by lining certain of the uid exposed parts of the pumpl with a compressible, resilient material such as synthetic rubber, or the like, and more particularly those parts of the housing andshaft where the latter enters the housing, all objectionable and damaging-abrasive action and Wear is eliminated and I am therefore able to conveniently use the abrasive containing liquid from the pump, together with a synthetic rubber sealing means cluding a housing B, an impeller C, a hub D, a

shaft E, a bearing F,'and the sealing'means G embodying `my invention. This sealing means is designed to maintain a liquid seal between the shaft and the hub to' prevent air from entering the pump housing and is supplied with sealing fluid from the pump by means of a pipe H and discharges fluid through pipe J back to the intake side of vthe pump or otherwise as desired.

The sealing means Gas here shown comprisesv a metal sleeve 4 keyed as atfi y,on the shaft E within the hub D and having vulcanized thereon a deformable and-resilient jacket or tubular covering 6 of synthetic rubber or the like. On this jacket are axially spaced circumferentialribs or flanges 'l of the same material as and preferably formed integral with the jacket.

A nonrotating tubular or vannular bushing or f collar 8 of deformable, resilient synthetic rubber of special' design for forming and maintaining an effective liquid seal to prevent airv from enter- A ing the pump around the shaft and thereby sealing the shaft.

In consideration-of the foregoing facts, itis an important object of my invention to provide a simple and inexpensive synthetic rubber sealing unit for al pump shaft such as described, wherein said unit may be quickly and easily assembled on the shaft and pump and comprises a xed part and a rotary part which form an annular fluid chamber into andthrough-which liquid is passed' from the pump chamber so as to form and maintain an annular'liquid seal around the shaft, said parts being closely spaced so that they do not contact as bearing elements and due to this spacing and the yieldability and resiliency thereof the 'abrasive particles and solids in the iluid will pass freely 'therebetween 'Without setting up undue friction and causing appreciable wearthereof.

With the foregoing objects in view, together with such other objects and advantages asv may o r the like is forced into the hub D over the jacket 6 and ts snugly against and forms ya tight seal along the inner surface of the hub D with its inner surfacesr slightly circumferentially spaced from the jacket 6 and ribs l.

Adjacent its ends the bushing 8 is provided interiorly with annular grooves Sinto which the ribs 1. extend, it being, noted thatV the bushing is split as at I0 to provide` for fitting it over the partsv 6 and 1. The ribs lare also slightly spaced from the walls of the grooves 9 to permit of free passage of the sealing fluidtherebetween.

Centrally of its ends the bushing 8 is formed with wide external and internal circumferential grooves Il land I2 which are communicated withv N one another by means of openings I3 in the buslr ing. 'I 'he external groove ll registers With'l "an inlet opening Nin the upper side of hub D'. An

outlet opening I5 in the hub D at a point spaced fromrthe outer endof the bushing 8 communi.- cates with the pipe-J for discharging fluid from the sealing meansG. Pipe I- I is connected with an outlet opening I6 inthepump housing B and conducts nuid into the groove- Il where it enters groove I2 through openings I3 and thereby forms an annular liquid seal for the shaft.

It should be noted that the groove II forms on the interior of the bushing 8 two annular ribs muy equal in length to the hub D and that the outer ends of said sleeve and jacket are substantially ush with the outer face of the end flange I1 while said jacket is spaced circumferentially from said flange.

A labyrinth is formed in chamber K by means oi a short section of tubing or sleeve I 8 fitted into the outer end of the housing D in frictional contact with the flange I'l and an overlying sleeve I9 of synthetic rubber extending laterally from a synthetic rubber ring forced on the jacket 5 in close and sealing engagement therewith. These labyrinth forming sleeves lie in opposed Vcircumferential spaced relation to one another and the hub and jacket 6 so as to form therebetween a tortuous passage or labyrinth It is now seen that chamber K will be supplied with sealing fluid from the internal groove I2 through the tortuous passage afforded between the jacket 6 and bushing 8; and that all of the spaces between the jacket 6 and -the bushing 8, and the chamber K will be filled with fluid whereby to form and maintain an effective liquid seal.

As the fluid is forced under pressure from the pump to the sealing means through pipe H and the inlet opening I4 is larger than the outlet opening I5, it is apparent that the fluid will fill the sealing means as aforesaid whereby to` maintain the desired liquid seal around the shaft to prevent the intaking of atmospheric air into the pump housing.

Any sand or grit or other abrasiveor solid substance in the iiuid which forms the liquid seal will pass between the closely spaced syn-4 thetic rubber parts of the elementsl 6,*-1 and ,8 which parts will yield tov permit of such passage of abrasive therebetween without causing objectionable friction or lappreciable wear on the sealing members, or any' appreciable wear between the associated parts ofthe shaft and hub.

I have found that in spite of a large sand or abrasive content in the fluid which seals the shaft, there will be provided a reliable seal without any damage to the pump, shaft and parts 'of the sealing means.

The labyrinth members I8 and I9 make possible the effective retention of the liquid in chamber K while at the same time providing for spacing the rotating jacket 6 on the shaft D from the flange I1 whereby to eliminate friction and wear. Any small amount of fluid leaking out past flange Il will not ill eiect the liquid ,Seal nor cause the adjacent bearing F to4 be dam` aged, since such small amount will not be sufficient to iiow along the shaft into the bearing. It will now be seen that my invention may be said to include the provision of a means for utilizing the liquid being pumped for maintaining an air-tight liquid seal around the shaft where viatenters the pump housing, in whichV said means primarily comprises soft rubber-or soft synthetic rubber or rubber-like members covering the opposed portions of theshaft and housing and constructed and arranged to denne an annular liquid chamber for sealing liquid delivered thereto automatically by and during operation of the pump. By closely spacing these'rubber or rubber-like members an effective seal is insured and where the liquid contains sand and other abrasives in suspension, the rubbery members will yield and allow passage of the sand or abrasive between the members without appreciable friction and wear.

While I have shown and described a specific embodiment of my invention I do not limit myself to the exact details of construction set forth, and the invention embraces such changes, modications and equivalents of the parts and their formation and arrangement as come within the purview of the appended claims.

Iclaim:

1. In .a pump including a housing having a hub, and a rotary shaft extending through said hub; a rotary deformable and resilient jacket surrounding and .fixed to the portion of the shaft extending through said hub, a stationary tubular bushing of deformable resilient material fitted in and having sealing contact with the interior of saidhilb and surrounding said jacket in closely spaced relation thereto to define an annular liqquid passage therebetween, said bushing being spaced inwardly from the 'outer end of said hub to define an annular chamber between the `jacket and hub, said bushing having an opening therein for the entrance of liquid into the `spaces between it and the jacket, said hub having an 'with said annular chamber, means for conducting liquid from the pump through said intake opening; said annular passage opening into said annular chamber, and closely spaced sealing members carried by the hub and jacket respectively at the outer end of the jacket for forming a labyrinth for resisting the discharge of fluid from the outer end of said hub.

2. In a. pump including a housing having a hub, and a rotary shaft extending through the hub; a rotary deformable resilient jacket fixed on and covering the portion of the shaft within said hub, a stationary tubular bushing of deformable resilient material in sealing contact with the interior of said hub and surrounding said jacket in closely spaced relation thereto whereby to define annular passages for liquid for sealing the spaces.

between the jacket and bushing, vsaid bushing having an opening therethrough to allow the entrance of liquid into the space between the bushing and the jacket, means for conducting liquid from the pump into said opening in the bushing, means for discharging liquid from said hub after it has passed through the spaces between the bushing and jacket, opposed spaced members carried by the jacket and hub respectively at the outer end of the latter for forming a labyrinth for resisting the discharge of sealing liquid through the outer end of said hub, said bushing having internal 'andI external circumferential liquid receiving grooves which are communicated by means of the opening in the bushing.

3. In a pump includingva housing having a hub, and a rotary shaft extending through the hub; a. rotary deformable resilient jacket fixed on and. covering the portion of the shaft within formable resilient material in sealing contact with the interior of said hub and surrounding said jacket in closely spaced relation thereto whereby to dene annular passages for liquid for sealing the -spaces between the jacket and bushing, said bushing having" an opening therethrough for the entrance of liquid into the space between the bushing and the jacket, means for conducting liquid from the pump into said opening in the bushing, means for discharging liquid from said hub after it has passedthrough the spaces be tween the bushing and jacket, and opposed.

4. In a pump including a housing having av hub, and a rotary shaft extending through said hub; a rotary deformable and resilient 'jacket surrounding and fixed to. the portion of the shaft extending through said hub, a stationary tubular bushing of deformable resilient material fltted in and having sealing contact with theinterior of said hub and surrounding said jacket in closely spaced relation thereto to define an annular liquid passage therebetween, said bushing being spaced inwardly from the outer end of lsaid,hub to define an annular chamber' between the jacket, and

hub, and a rotary shaft extendingthrough `said .hub; a' rotary deformable and resilient jacket surrounding and xed to the portion of the shaft extending through said hub, a stationary tubular bushingy of deformable resilient material tted in and having sealing contact with the interior of said hub and surrounding said jacket in closely spaced relation thereto to dene an annularliquid passage therebetween, said bushing being'spaced inwardly from the outer end of said hub to define an annular chamber between the jacket and hub, said bushing having an opening therein for the entrance of liquid into the spaces between it and the jacket, said hub having an intake opening registering with the opening in said bushing and an outlet opening registering with said annular chamber, means for conducting liquid from the pump through said intake opening; said annular passage opening into said annular chamhub, said bushing having an opening therein for the entrance of liquid into the spaces between it and the jacket, said hub having an intake opening registering with the opening in said vbushing and an outlet opening registering with said annular chamber, means for conducting liquid from the pump into said intake opening; Isaid annular passage opening intov said annular chamber, and closely spaced sealing members. carried by the hub and jacketrespectively at the outer cndvof` the jacket for forming a labyrinth for resisting the dischargeof fluid from the outer end of said hub, said bushing having internal and external circumferential grooves communicated through the opening therein. A l

5. In a pump including a housing having r`a ber, and closely spaced sealing members carried by the hub and jacket-respectively in said chamber, for forming a labyrinth for resisting the discharge of fluid from the outer end of said hub, said bushing having internal'and external circumferential grooves communicated through the opening therein, and circumferential ribs on said jacketpbetween which is disposed the internally grooved portion of the bushing, said bushing having grooves in which said ribs extend so as to dene liquid passagesaroundthe ribs communicatf p ing the internal groove with said annular cham- 6. In a shaft seal, a housing, a rotary shaft extending into the housing, a sleeve keyed to said shaft, a4 jacketof deformable elastic and rubberlike material fixed to and surrounding said sleeve, 'a tubular bushing` of deformable resilient -material surrounding said jacket and sleeve and having a sealing contact with said housing vand provided with an internal groove forming an annular liquid chamber between it and the jacket, n

said jacket and .bushing being'oth'erwise disposed in such closely spaced relation circumferentially as to retard `iiow of and Athereby retain liquid therebetween yet yield to passage therebetween of solid particles which may be suspended in the sealing liquid, and means providing for 'the introduction of. liquid into said chamber audits,

discharge therefrom.

" JACK E. WALKER. 

